Rebecca Black

So most of us have had the pleasure of watching Rebecca Black’s vial music video “Friday.” I’m not quite sure whether her life has been greatly improved since she has become famous or if she has been miserable because of all of the hate mail she is now receiving. By the looks of this photo, I guess she’s taking the whole situation lightly.

But what is the effect of her video on kids? I mean she’s 13 or 14 years-old and she’s skipping school to drive in a convertible to an exciting party. Her biggest troubles right now seem to be about which day of the week it is, where she should sit in the car and what she eats for breakfast. Funnily enough, those are the only parts that are age appropriate.

But what about the whole teen phenomena? Who are this Ark Music Factory? Funny it’s called a factory, makes the whole thing sound like people send them requests and they mass produce just about the same product over and over again. How appropriate.

They also happen to be two guys who, for about $2,000, can turn your kid into the next pop sensation by only autotuning his or her voice “not that much.” That’s how Rebecca Black became famous; “Friday” was just a birthday present from her mom. I wonder if this is her best birthday present or the worst.

Well, she seems to love the fame. After watching this video of her interview on the Good Morning America Show, she seems to love her 15 minutes of fame. Well I’m happt for her, she’s optimistic and taking the whole situation lightly. But will other kids be demanding to have their own “professional” music videos of them for Christmas?

It may be good for their confidence, but at the same time, will they think that they’re so important that everyone must follow their every move on Twitter and that they are the center of the universe? There are more and more tv shows, films and music videos who promote the theme on the smart and wise child vs. the dimwitted adult. I already see some effects of this phenomenon: kids sassing their mother because THEY are right, kids rejecting authority because they don’t deserve respect, etc.

Going back to Rebecca Black’s video, there are her producers, the strange Ark Factory. Who are these creepy guys who produce a bunch of videos with little girls signing about going to parties or being an ordinary pop star. Here’s a video that (somewhat) explains their company. Here’s their official website.

If you can’t stand that video for more than 30 seconds, I understand.

Here’s an interview with Patrice Wilson, the founder of Ark Music Factory. He explains why he started this record label, how he feels about making kids famous, and if he thinks he’s destroying pop music. Very interesting. Besides the fact that the interview looks like a grade 9 English project and that it’s scripted, it helps to hear the man behind the videos explain what his thoughts are.